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Caring for Cats and Dogs

Author:
Language:	English
Objectives:	Cats and dogs are the most popular companion animals. This resource has been developed to teach compassion for living creatures, and to provide children with practical advice on how to interpret dog and cat behaviour in order to understand the animal’s point of view. The material includes one or more learning objectives for each activity.
Type of Resource:	Ring Binder, Web-based
Target Age Level:	Primary education 5 -11
Concepts/Issues:	Responsible Pet Ownership (RPO)
Curricular Area:	Literacy, Science general, PSHE/Citizenship education, Mathematics/Numeracy
Learning Style:	Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Kinaesthetic, Visual/spatial
Description:	Caring for cats and dogs presents teachers and students with interactive activities centred around dogs and cats. By practising skills in evidence selection and decision making the fundamental components of animal welfare education are introduced. There are two main aims. 1. Animal welfare education; promoting knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes relevant to our relationship with dogs and cats but emphasising the transferability of these attributes to other animals and to our relationship with people. 2. Problem solving and decision making: practising these skills through inter-active, practical activities supported by background information.
Contents:	Section 1: Wolves and Pekingese, Wild cats and Siamese: 1.1 The origins of dogs and cats and breed diversity. 1.2 The domestication of dogs. 1.3 Breeds of dogs. 1.4 The welfare of dogs. 1.5 The domestication of cats. 1.6 Breeds of cats and cat welfare. Section 2: The life cycles of cats and dogs 2.1 It’s a dog’s life. 2.2 It’s a cat’s life. Section 3: Being a responsible pet owner 3.1 All animals have needs. 3.2 The Five Freedoms. 3.3 Before buying a companion animal. 3.4 Being a responsible pet owner. Section 4: Telling tails 4.1 Doggy speak and cat communication. 4.2 Understanding a dog’s body language. 4.3 Understanding a cat’s body language. 4.4 Safe behaviour towards dogs and cats. 4.5 Safe behaviour when you meet a new dog.
Supplied Support:	This resource is a teachers’ manual.
Purchasing Info:	WSPA
Resource Publisher or Supplier:	WSPA
Contact:	Education Unit 89 Albert Embankment London, UK SE1 7TP http://www.wspa-international.org/ +44 20 75875000 education@wspa-international.org
Detailed Information:	KEY CONCEPTS INCLUDED AND ILLUSTRATED: To enable young people (approximately 7-12 year old pupils) to develop into informed and confident citizens; to face environmental challenges; to develop respect, empathy, compassion and myriad responsibilities; to tackle social and ethical dilemmas, they need key skills. This resource gives practice in the skills of thinking critically, gathering and selecting evidence, making informed choices and arguing a point of view while respecting the opinions of others. This resource aims to help develop these underpinning skills by focussing on topical issues concerning two animals with which we have had long associations - dogs and cats. MAIN ACTIVITY The main activities involved in using this resource are reading, writing, gaining and processing information, discussion, expressing views, generating ideas, making choices and decisions, questions and answers, experiencing, talking and writing about opinions, feeling, and empathy-raising. WHAT YOU NEED Information of what you will need for each activity is outlined in the teacher’s notes. ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING Some of the activities offer the possibility to evaluate knowledge and attitudes, and for the student to discuss their answers. EXTENSION ACTIVITIES The resource does not include extension activities, but it is possible for students to research other cat and dog breeds. This resource is also available in Spanish, Portuguese, and an amended version in Thai. It can be downloaded in English from: http://www.wspa-international.org/Images/Caring_for_Cats_and_Dogs_09_tcm25-2860.pdf#false (PDF - 12.2 Mb)

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